Home for the Holidays
by Keikimo
Summary: Celebrating the holidays is a lot harder when you're a part of Team Chuck
1. Chuck versus the Teddy Bear

Home for the Holidays - by Keikimo

December 2007

Disclaimer: If only I were creative enough to come up with the characters of Team Chuck. But unfortunately, I can only borrow them temporarily - they still belong to the guys in suits.

I write purely for the enjoyment, I post purely in the hopes there are people out there who would enjoy reading my works. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to hear from you. If you have anything to say, feel free to hit that review button and let me know.

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A/N:

Apparently all my nice section dividers disappeared...sorry! I guess I should check one last time when I post things at 3 in the morning. Fixed for readability.

I am a sporadic writer at best...but there is something about this show that brings out the plot bunnies in me. I make no promises that there will be more - I'm just happy I managed to get this done in time for Christmas!

I hope you enjoy...

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Part I - Chuck versus the Teddy Bear

"Hey!"

Chuck whipped around in surprise, smiling when he saw Sarah leaning against his bedroom doorframe. "Hey, hi! I didn't hear you come in."

"Ellie let me in." Sarah smiled, glancing around the disaster area that was normally Chuck's room. It looked almost as if a fully-decorated Christmas tree had exploded in the tiny area, scattering bits of ribbon, wrap, tinsel, and bows all over. "What are you up to?"

"Me? Uh...nothing..." Chuck unsuccessfully tried to hide everything behind his back, the rapid movement accidentally sending another batch of ribbons and paper to the floor.

"Chuck..." Sarah walked further into the room, laughing as Chuck carefully shifted around the bed, trying to keep himself in front of whatever was behind his back. "Chuck, I can see the gold ribbons behind you."

"Yeah I know. I just wanted it to be a surprise." Chuck nearly pouted as he pulled the lopsided package out from behind his back and handed it to her. "I wasn't quite finished."

"It's...beautiful..."

"You know, for a spy, there are times you really don't lie well." Chuck snorted. Even he had to admit that it looked sort of sad. He was fine wrapping things when they were packed in nice, square boxes. But this present ended up looking all lumpy and misshapen, something even cascading ribbon curls couldn't quite hide. "I should have let my sister help me."

"No, really. It's perfect the way it is." Sarah said honestly, fingering the long ribbon curls. She really did appreciate its homemade charm. "Thank you..."

"You're welcome."

"But I thought you already got me my Christmas present." Sarah smiled patiently, finishing off the rest of her thought. "You know, the alarm clock...?"

"Oh that! That was kind of a silly, spur of the moment thing." Chuck shrugged, sheepishly staring down at the carpet. "Now that we're...friends again, I thought I should get you a real present."

"Chuck..." Sarah sighed, holding the present back towards him. "I really can't accept it. I don't have anything for you. And it would be...inappropriate..."

"You don't even know what it is yet...how can it be inappropriate?" Chuck pointed out with a nervous smile. "Plus Ellie and Awesome helped me pick it out, so you have to accept it. Otherwise they'll wonder what's wrong."

"Awesome helped you pick out my Christmas present? Oh God." Sarah looked at the present suspiciously. It was small and squishy and... "It's not lingerie, is it?"

"No...that would be an inappropriate gift." Chuck laughed. "Open it and see..."

She glanced at the package nervously one more time, then back to Chuck's encouraging face. Shrugging, she finally pulled the paper and ribbons off the package, unearthing a small, stuffed bear. "Aww...It's cute!"

"Yeah. I know it's hard, not having anyone to talk to about your real life...so I wanted to get you something you could tell your secrets to." Chuck smiled, pointing to the bear. He had spent a long, long time in the toy store, sorting through all the stuffed animals, trying to find the right one for Sarah. It had taken nearly forever, but even Ellie and Awesome agreed that it was perfect when he showed them his final selection.

"Chuck..." Sarah paused, giving the bear an experimental squeeze. It was soft and cuddly...reassuring almost. "That's so thoughtful of you."

"Please just do me a favour and don't name him Bryce."

Studying the bear carefully, Sarah already knew what she would name it. It was wonderfully warm and cute, so friendly it almost invited you to hug him. And it had the biggest brown eyes, oozing honesty and innocence. It was basically Chuck...transformed into a teddy bear.

She knew that she couldn't say that out loud though. Accepting his gift was already dangerous enough...she really didn't need to make things even more complicated. So she decided to keep the conversation light-hearted. "So, can I name it Casey then?"

She was relieved when her tactic worked, Chuck practically falling off the bed laughing. He grabbed for the bear, holding it in front of him like a puppet. Purposely using a squeaky, cartoon-like voice, he bobbed its head in time as he talked. "Hello, my name is Casey. And I believe in the right to arm bears..." He broke off in a fit of hysterical laughter again, unable to continue.

Sarah started laughing as well, grabbing for the bear and smacking it over Chuck's head. "That's horrible."

"What's horrible...the pun, or naming a teddy bear after Casey?" Chuck asked, still hiccupping with laughter.

Sarah was about to answer when they were interrupted by a knock on Chuck's door. They both turned to see Ellie standing there, an amused smile on her face. "I thought I'd check and see what was going on...you guys sound like a couple of five year olds!"

"She started it..." Chuck pointed towards Sarah, earning himself another smack over the head with the bear. "Ow."

"We were just...admiring my Christmas present." Sarah smiled, holding out her teddy bear for Ellie to see. Even after all the abuse, it still looked brand new...only requiring a bit of gentle tugging to return it to its formerly plump shape.

"Well if you're finished beating each other up, I just baked a batch of cookies."

"Cookies? Did you make gingerbread?" The bear suddenly forgotten, Chuck instantly jumped to his feet at the word cookies. He briefly turned towards Sarah, a wide smile on his face. "Can I interest you in a plate of cookies and a glass of milk?"

Sarah hesitated only a second, telling herself that she could deal with all the complicated things in her life later. Right now, she could share a plate of cookies with a friend and his family. She carefully set her new bear down on the bed, leaving it propped up against the pillows as she followed Chuck and Ellie out the door.

In the darkness, it patiently sat and waited for her. Friendly and comforting, honest and open.

Just like its namesake...


	2. Chuck versus the Grinch

Home for the Holidays - by Keikimo

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See Part I for Author's Notes

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Part II - Chuck versus the Grinch

"What?"

Even though he was expecting it, Chuck still flinched when the door whipped open in front of him. He never got used to it, one moment standing in front of a closed wooden door...the next moment facing the angry glare of Major John Casey. It was like suddenly staring into a loaded gun...or in Casey's case, an angry man holding a loaded gun.

"Um...I come in peace?" Chuck smiled sheepishly pulling a small, wrapped parcel out from behind his back. "Can I come in for a second?

Casey sighed, dropping the gun to his side. He silently debated the question for a second, just long enough to make Chuck squirm on his doorstep, before waving the other man in. "Fine Bartowski, what do you want?"

"I want a lot of impossible things. Peace on Earth, a million dollars, a Playstation 3... " Purposely trying to push Casey's buttons, Chuck waited for the exact moment before frustration turned to angry annoyance. "Seriously, I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas."

"Chuck..."

"Okay, I know it goes against your Grinch-like nature. But it's Christmas time and I thought I would get you a little something. " Chuck held out the package again and shook it slightly in front of Casey's face. "Will you just take it?"

Casey grabbed for Chuck's wrist, twisting it slightly. He ignored Chuck's muffled grunt of pain, taking the parcel with his other hand. "Why would you get me something?"

"Well I thought it might be a nice thing to do." Pulling hard, Chuck finally managed to break free from the iron grip on his wrist. "Although, I'm starting to wonder why myself."

Casey barely shrugged at Chuck's sarcastic comment, his attention now focused on the gaily wrapped parcel. Holding the package delicately in both hands, he carried it the short distance to his worktable, cleared off an empty space for it, and gently set it down.

"It's a present Casey, it's not a bomb." Chuck rolled his eyes.

"I'm trying to decide the best point of entrance." Casey explained. He leaned over, carefully studying the gift from all angles. "And what tool I should use to ensure the least amount of damage."

"Seriously, were you ever a kid Casey? Or did you sprout up out of a pod somewhere full grown?" Chuck asked rhetorically, smiling when Casey finally looked up and grunted at him again. "Just open it already!"

"Fine, just so you'll shut up..." Casey picked up the package and stroked the perfect paper one last time before tearing into the package.

Chuck waited anxiously, watching Casey carefully for some sort of reaction. A silent moment passed with no response and Chuck began to nervously twitch from side to side. He was about to say something, anything to break the tension, when Casey finally broke the silence.

"You got me a model...?" Casey looked from the box to Chuck and back to the box again.

"Um...yeah." Chuck nodded, still trying to figure out if Casey liked his gift or not. He never knew what the man was thinking at any given moment...and at times like this, it was very unnerving. Taking a deep breath, he decided to take a chance and ask the question he had been dreading. "It's the right kind of car, right?"

Casey studied the box once again, weighing what he should say. It was more than just a model toy car...more than an expensive model replica. It was an expensive model replica of his car...a Crown Vic. "Yes."

"Oh good! I was worried because I really don't know anything about cars." Chuck let out a huge sigh of relief and smiled widely. "But I figured it was perfect for you, I mean, I'd never have the patience to put it all together. But you, you grow Bonsai trees as a hobby..." Chuck continued, nodding towards the carefully tended plant sitting across the room.

For once, Casey let Chuck ramble on one of his long, tangent-filled, never-ending stories. Listening to Chuck's long winded explanation helped him ignore the growing sense of unease in his gut. Not only was the Intersect handing out Christmas gifts like Santa Claus...but they were carefully chosen, perfectly thoughtful, Christmas gifts.

"Casey?"

"Yeah?" Belatedly, Casey realized Chuck had stopped talking a few moments ago and was now studying him nervously again. "I was thinking."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"It's a beautiful model." Casey forced himself to smile briefly, if only to put the kid at ease again. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Chuck said brightly. He shuffled awkwardly for a few seconds, waiting for Casey to say something else. When it became apparent that the conversation was over, he turned towards the door with a shrug. He opened it partway, but turned back quickly, as if he thought of something else to add. "Oh, my sister wanted me to invite you for Christmas Eve dinner."

"Your sister is having a dinner party again after the disaster at Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah, she's either certifiably insane, a martyr...or both." Chuck laughed. "Anyways, she told me to invite you as well..."

Casey nodded slowly, the sight sense of unease growing. He really did need to put some distance between himself, Chuck and the rest of the extended Bartowski family and friends clan. The invite just confirmed that he was already too close. "Please thank your sister for the invitation...but tell her I won't be able to come."

"Will do. I figured as much anyways. " Chuck gave one of his trademark lopsided grins. "I actually told her you might not want to come...but she thinks it's because you don't have a date."

"Bartowski..." It was bad enough the Intersect just gave him a Christmas present. It was even worse being semi-adopted by the Bartowski family. The absolute last thing Casey needed at this point was a meddling sister trying to set him up on a date.

Chuck laughed and waved cheerily as he walked out the door. "Have a Merry Christmas Casey!"

Casey grumbled out something resembling a "Merry Christmas," not really caring if the kid heard him or not. But he did watch through the window as Chuck jauntily walked back to his house, seemingly without a care in the world.

Casey, on the other hand, knew...even if it was only deep down in places he never acknowledged...that he was officially screwed.


	3. Spy versus Spy

Home for the Holidays - Spy versus Spy - by Keikimo

A/N:

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews...I'm glad you liked these mini-scenes as much as I liked writing them.

I always had more ideas planned...but didn't intend on writing them up since, well, Christmas was a week ago. :) But my Muses convinced me that I still had more stories left to tell and helped me get them done as a belated Christmas gift to you.

If you are sick of everything Christmas by now, I understand completely! But if you are still interested in seeing how Team Chuck spent the holidays - Part III follows thse notes, Part IV follows shortly.

I hope you enjoy them as much as the first two...and that it was worth the little extra wait.

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Part IV - Spy versus Spy

"Can I ask you a question Casey?"

Casey glanced up from his computer screen, studying the other agent carefully. They had both been waiting for a briefing...one that was fifteen minutes late and counting. Tired of standing around and waiting, Sarah had wandered off, curling up in a comfortable ball on his couch, seemingly perfectly at ease with the world. Someone with a trained eye however, could easily see the tense pull of her shoulders, the tilt of her head in the wrong direction.

He briefly considered saying no, but figured that would only delay the inevitable. "What?"

"Nothing, never mind. It wasn't important." Gracefully uncurling herself from the couch, she wandered back towards the worktable, perching herself on a stool beside him. "What time is it now?"

"Fine, it's 9:46." Casey shrugged and returned his attention to the computer. Ever since Bryce had suddenly appeared, Sarah had been acting strangely. Hot and cold, up and down...she was literally driving him nuts. Bad enough he had to work with a CIA agent, bad enough that she was a female CIA agent. But now he was working with an emotionally fragile, female CIA agent.

"Fifteen minutes late...I wonder what's going on." Casually rifling through the papers littering Casey's desk, she looked for anything interesting. Everything related to the past mission was there - briefing notes, intel files, blueprints and maps. Lifting the corner of one map, she noticed a box half-buried underneath the mass of papers. "What's this?"

"What!?" Casey looked up again, barely managing to hide his dismay when he spotted the box in her hands. He had almost forgotten about the gift, their last assignment had left him so busy he never really had a chance to do anything with it. Other than accidentally bury it underneath a mound of paperwork. "It's a model. Gift from Chuckles."

"Chuck gave you a present?" Sarah asked in surprise. She turned the box over in her hands, shaking it experimentally.

"Whatever...it's nothing. " Even as he tried to dismiss it as being nothing special, Casey grabbed for the box, pulling the model from her hands. Choosing to ignore the knowing smile on Sarah's face, he gave it a quick inspection, carefully setting it back down on the desk beside him. "Besides, I hear he gave you something too."

"How...?" Sarah didn't even finish the question, breaking off with a tired groan. "You were listening in."

"Yup." Casey chuckled. "You didn't actually name it after me, did you?"

"No." She rolled her eyes. Trust Casey to listen in to the entire conversation...

"And you checked it for bugs, right?"

Sarah sighed. It almost broke her heart, being forced to cut open her beautiful bear. She knew in her heart that Chuck would never think of doing something like that. Even if he remembered that she had once tried the same trick on him, the thought to put a bug in her present would never have even crossed his mind. But her implicit trust in Chuck couldnt quite erase all the years of training, knowing that any gift could be suspicious. "Yes. "

"Good." Casey nodded in approval. "Did you..."

"Damn it Casey, what do you want from me?" Sarah didn't even let him finish his next sentence, purposely cutting him off. She stalked back towards the couch in frustration, hands waving in the air as she talked. "Do you actually need to see the remains from my perfectly harmless stuffed bear? Would that make you happy?"

"No actually. I was wondering if you managed to sew it back up though." Casey crossed his arms across his chest, eyebrows raised in obvious amusement.

"Oh! Sorry." Sarah smiled sheepishly, taking in a long breath to regain her composure. "I'm just...a little sensitive."

"Apparently." Casey resisted the urge to continue the rest of his thought - that she had been a little sensitive about all things related to Chuck since the moment she met him.

"It's just...it was the first real Christmas present I've gotten in ages."

"Bryce never got you anything?" Even as the words left his mouth, Casey mentally smacked himself in the head. He had no idea why he asked the question, especially as he really didn't care about the answer. But Chuck's annoying habit of speaking before thinking was apparently starting to spread.

"Bryce? Bryce bought me two weighted throwing knives." The sombre mood in the room suddenly lifted as she laughed at the memory.

"Practical. Maybe he's not that bad a guy after all..."

"Fine. I have gotten practical gifts before." Sarah rolled her eyes. "But Chuck's was the first...sentimental gift I've ever gotten while under cover."

Casey knew he should launch into one of his usual rants, explaining how practical gifts, while decidedly boring and impersonal, ended up saving lives. Sentimental gifts on the other hand, were dangerous. Sentimental gifts had meaning. They meant that feelings were involved...and it was hard to make important, crucial decisions when sticky things like emotions got in the way.

He really couldn't bring himself to do it however, and that worried him. He told himself he was actually doing the smart thing, waiting for a better time to have this conversation. He really didn't need to get dragged onto one of Sarah's emotional rollercoasters again...it had been tiring enough working with the both of them the last few weeks. Telling her to stay away from Chuck now, after they had all finally reached some sort of detente, that would just make things worse.

Glancing down at the model on his table though, he knew better...the damned spirit of the holidays was making him soft. He really, really needed to start taking his own advice

"Okay, it's not like you've done permanent damage Walker. It's a stuffed animal, not a person...just put the damned thing back together."

"I can't." Sarah crossed her arms defensively across her chest, almost daring him to mock her. "I don't sew."

Casey snorted. She could shoot a gun accurately, could pick a lock faster than anyone else he knew. And she didn't know how to sew. "Alright...in the spirit of elves, reindeer, fat guys and all the rest of that garbage. If you bring it by, I might be able to help."

"You? You're going to sew my bear back together?" Sarah glanced over at him incredulously, her voice a mix of mockery, laughter and suprise.

The shrill beep from the laptop, signalling an incoming transmission , brought both agents back to attention. All business again, Sarah walked back to the worktable, taking a seat beside Casey while he worked to patch them through. Glancing over his shoulder, seeing her suddenly serious face, he couldn't help but get in one more dig. "Who said anything about sewing? I was thinking duct tape."

Sarah opened her mouth to respond but it was too late, both of their bosses suddenly appearing on the screen in front of them. As the briefing started, his boss launching into a long winded apology for the delay, Casey resisted the urge to grin. Even while he was standing at attention, he could feel the glare burning into the side of his skull.

It was good to know that, even if he had been infected with the spirit of the holidays, he could find ways to annoy Sarah. It meant he hadn't gone completely soft...

Yet...


	4. Chuck versus the Holidays

Home for the Holidays - Chuck versus the Holidays - by Keikimo

A/N:

Here it is...the last part of this little Christmas series. Thank you all once again for your feedback and comments. I hope this was worth the wait!

I don't know if I will have any other stories to tell in the future...my Muses tend to be a bit fickle at times. But if I do, you're all welcome to join me on my next journey!

Thank you again for your interest...and enjoy.

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Part IV - Chuck versus the Holidays

Chuck sighed and flopped down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was Christmas...and yet somehow, it just didn't feel like it. He supposed it was because he was spending the holiday alone for the first time in ages.

Ellie and Awesome were planning on spending the day with his family, leaving right after breakfast so that they would have plenty of time to visit. And Morgan was off hanging out with Anna somewhere...he had mentioned something about a Playstation 3 just before hanging up on Chuck earlier that afternoon. Unfortunately, that left Chuck officially alone for Christmas.

He knew it was silly, especially when he would have given just about anything to have had a moment of peace and quiet last night during dinner. It had been a typical Bartowski family dinner, complete with fake girlfriends, jealous girlfriends, barely disguised meltdowns, oblivious friends, and baked yams with marshmallows. But now, now that he had all the peace and quiet he wanted, he was beginning to wish for the utter chaos again.

Chuck was so caught up in his moping he almost missed the faint birdcall coming from his open window. Scrambling to his feet, he rushed over and pulled the blinds up, surprised to find both Casey and Sarah standing on the other side of his window. "Uh...hi guys."

"Hi Chuck." Sarah smiled and gave a half-wave, while Casey merely grunted out a greeting. "Can we come in?"

"Um. Yeah, sure." Chuck waited as both agents clambered through the window, poking his head out briefly to look around before dropping the blinds again. He always wondered if his neighbours noticed the strange visitors stopping by his window at all hours of the day and night...and if they wondered why none of them ever seemed to use the front door. "So what's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well you guys don't usually come by unless there's some sort of situation." Chuck shrugged, flopping back down on the bed with a heavy sigh. "So I guess bad guys don't take Christmas off?"

"Actually they generally do." Sarah laughed. "So do government agents."

"Okay...?" Chuck hated times like this. He knew that Sarah was trying to tell him something and that he really should have been able to fill in the blanks himself. But even though it might be plainly obvious to everyone else, he was still as confused as ever. Deciding to risk the mockery that was sure to follow, he glanced towards Casey in the hopes the other agent would fill in the details.

"We're not actually here on business." Casey nodded his head towards Sarah, letting out an amused snort. "She was worried about you...I just stopped by for leftovers."

"Casey!" Sarah gave an exasperated sigh, willing away the impending blush from her cheeks. She shot a quick glare in the other agent's direction, but it was obvious from the wide grin on his face, he was enjoying her discomfort.

Chuck blinked in surprise. Even he could fill in the blanks now. "Oh."

"I wasn't...I just..." She paused and closed her eyes, trying to regain her composure. "Your sister mentioned she was going to be out of town last night...so we thought you might like some company today."

"No, she thought you might want company." Casey made sure to emphasize the word "she", tilting his head in Sarah's direction once again for good measure. "I came to get food."

Chuck smiled, feeling his depressed funk slowly lifting. Even Casey's insistent denial of being there for any reason other than food didn't bother him that much. It wasn't exactly an offer of friendship...it actually wasn't much of anything when he stopped to consider it. But they were both there, standing in his room, willingly offering to spend time with him away from the job. And for two people, who worked as hard as they did to set up personal and professional boundaries...it was a lot.

"Well...Ellie is the chef of the house, but I could probably rustle up some turkey sandwiches and beer."

Jumping up from the bed, Chuck led the way into the kitchen, not even bothering to wait for an answer from either agent. He continued to talk as they walked down the hall, feeling the need to fill the empty silence. "I don't have a lot in the way of entertainment though. There's probably a few chick flicks by the DVD player..."

Chuck heard the snickers behind his head. "They're Ellie's!"

"Sure they are."

"Anyways..." Chuck ignored the sarcastic comment, silently reminding himself that he was the one who wanted company for Christmas in the first place. "I think Awesome has a couple of movies somewhere, you can look for them if you want. And...oh... Morgan got me Call of Duty for Christmas."

"Decent game..." Casey nodded in approval. If nothing else, it was infinitely better than a chick flick.

"You play video games?" Sarah turned towards Casey in surprise.

"No..." He rolled his eyes, snorting with barely disguised disgust. "But I sold a truckload of them over Christmas...mostly to people who would literally shoot themselves in the ass if they ever had to handle a real gun."

Sarah and Chuck both laughed at Casey's obvious disdain. It was hard to imagine how anyone at the NSA would think that retail service would be a good cover for Casey. Especially when it seemed like he barely managed to get through his days without ever killing any of his customers.

"Alright. While I will freely admit that most gamers have no clue how real guns work...knowing how to use a real gun won't help keep you from getting your ass kicked the first time you play online." Chuck laughed, reaching into the fridge to grab three beers , passing two of them back to the agents. "Fragged in seconds."

"If I even understood what that meant...this would bother me why?" Casey crossed his arms, almost daring Chuck to speak.

"Well for starters, because Morgan is a God at Call of War..." Chuck pointed his finger towards Casey's chest, pretending to aim it like a gun. "Like I said...fragged in seconds."

Sarah glanced up at Casey, taking a quick sip of beer to hide the amused smile on her face. She had to hand it to Chuck, he really did know how to push Casey's buttons. "Morgan did say once that playing video games required almost Zen like concentration. Something about a higher plane of awareness..."

Casey merely grunted. He recognized a challenge when he heard one. "Alright Bartowski...hand me a damned controller."

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Ten minutes later, all three members of Team Chuck sat around the TV, deeply engrossed in a simulated war. Half-eaten sandwiches and partially emptied beer bottles littered the ground around them, random cursing, continuous trash-talking, and the occasional cheer filling the air.

It definitely wasn't a typical storybook Christmas, family and friends gathered in a cozy house, around a huge table filled with food. It was one NSA agent, one CIA agent and one analyst with a computer for a brain, sitting around, eating cold turkey sandwiches, drinking beer and playing video games for the entire afternoon. Chuck found it almost surreal just thinking about it.

But they were together for Christmas...and for the moment, that was all that mattered.

They were home for the holidays.

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Fin


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